Tsubasa: Reminiscence
by Yoshi2112
Summary: Pre TRC - Before the search for Sakura's feathers took place, Kurogane is forced to follow a young medic on the search for the panacea to save an infected Nihon. Surprises, sacrifices, danger and betrayal follows the duo everywhere... KuroganexOC
1. Tale 1 When They First Met

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Disclaimer:  
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles or any part of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles is the amazing work of CLAMP. The author will only state _**once and only once **_**that everything except the characters (OCs) and the plot of this story, Tsubasa: Reminiscence, are creations of CLAMP. Any coincidence of storyline or characters to any other story is purely coincidental.**

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_Tale 1 When They First Met…_

"Thank you Yoshi-chan, come again." The shopkeeper said as he watched the young women lift up a heavy looking grocery basket. The basket was heavy and bulging with a variety of vegetables and fruits. "Are you sure you don't need help with that?"

"Oh no, I'm fine. Thank you! See you later!" The young women smiled brightly as she darted out of the shop, leaving the shopkeeper dazed. Her charming smile had caused the shopkeeper to blush, though she did not notice. '_That child is so kind and is always happy!'_ He thought. '_Very strong as well…I hope she doesn't break under the pressure of those groceries! Look at how skinny she is…' _He chuckled at the thought.

"Did Yoshi-chan leave already?" His wife asked she pulled open the curtains on the shop and carried a basket full of fresh-made sushi. "I made these especially for her for the free medicine she gave us!"

The shopkeeper sighed and smiled knowingly at his wife. "You know she's always dedicated to help Hamasaki-san in that pharmacy."

"Plus, she always manages to sense that if we're trying to give her something in return, which she is normally too embarrassed to accept." His wife chimed in.

"You know Masayo-san, the fisherman?" A smile formed on his wife's face, knowing what her husband was getting to. "He tried to give her extra fish, free of charge, for the medicine she gave him for his fishing injuries, but she left extra cash behind when he wasn't looking, with a note, saying that she could not accept it because she truly wanted him to recover from his injuries, and by giving her extra fish, means he would have less customers if and less profit."

"They always want nothing in return, Hamasaki-san and Yoshi-chan…I really wish that there was something that we could do to show them our appreciation…" his wife murmured. Her husband's arms were around her shoulders, embracing her.

"Such a kind-hearted child…Yoshi-chan…it's hard to find someone like her who focuses on how to make other people happy than their self these days."

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"Vegetables and fruits…check. Fish…check. Meat…" Yoshi mumbled as she ticked off the places she had visited on her lengthy check list. "Now…home time!" she exclaimed as she carried the basket full and headed towards the right direction. She waved happily and greeted passers by through the stream of people in the market place, near Shirasagi Castle.

"Yoshi-chan!" She heard a familiar voice call out her name, loud and clear. '_Uh oh,'_ she thought as she sped up her pace, trying to avoid meeting the person. Being careless of what was around her, she bumped into someone, knocking the person over. "Yoshi-chan! How are you?" The person exclaimed as they brushed off the dirt on their yukata on the ground. '_Oh no…'_ Yoshi thought as she smiled awkwardly and offered her hand to help the person on the ground.

"Takuya-kun…"

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"For the last time, it's a no."

"Why? Why, Yoshi-chan?"

"I told you already. It's because I don't have time to go to social outings like that. I'm working on that day at Hamasaki-san's."

"Oh come on; just have a break or something once in a while."

"Not a chance."

It wasn't a rare sight of seeing these two young adults two argue their way these days through the market with a group of people following them. Dragging a big basket of fruits, herbs and other groceries was Yoshi. The slender brunette was extremely annoyed at her friend, Takuya, for proposing to take her to the bonfire festival, held in two days time. He had been bugging her starting from two weeks ago with his gang of friends who constantly trail behind him. Everywhere she went; he would follow and ask the same questions over and over again…

"Last time you _promised_ that you'd go with me this time," stated Takuya reasonably, his plump face glistening with hope, his hands waving around to explain. "So you must come with me!"

Yoshi sighed. Not only was the load of groceries heavy, Takuya constantly bothering her was another load that she didn't want. '_Should've took the shortcut_,' she thought. "I didn't promise you _anything_, I said that I was going to think about it and there was no guarantee."

"Please?" She wanted to laugh in at his face but suppressed that act; his expression was just too funny for her. His plump face had a look of anticipation; his hands were clenched together tightly, plus the fact that she had to look down at him since he was a head shorter than she was. Although that they were childhood friends, she still felt a tad uneasy next to her old friend.

He had changed a lot over the past few years, always flirting with women, doing many other things that she wouldn't dare to, and not even working in a proper job and earning like all adults should be…she still felt quite taken aback by how much he had changed by. '_I guess people can't always be the same, no matter how much you want them to be…' _Yoshi thought as she continued to make her way down through the streets of the marketplace, with a blabbering Takuya trailing behind.

"Er…nice yukata you all have." She said as she glanced backwards at the string of people following them.

"Do you like it?" they asked in unison. "She likes it, boss!"

"Yeah! Go Scarlet Scorpions!" They yelled in synchronization and turned around to show the symbol of a Scorpion, coloured red, on the back of their black yukata. Yoshi sweat dropped.

"Um…nice." Was all Yoshi could say. After all, what can you say to a group of gangsters?

"Shuuush!" Takuya interrupted. His face was red and dripping with sweat. "Don't change the topic! So will you please come with me? There are a lot of things that we can do!"

Realising that she had slowed down a bit, Yoshi started picking up her pace.

"…fireworks, good food, activities…" were the only things Yoshi could make out of Takuya's conversation since she wasn't really paying attention. "It'll be great fun if you come with _me_!"

"Uh no, and I've already told you my reasons, Takuya-kun." She said as she quickly sped past her companion and turned into one of the corners on the street, attempting to shrug off Takuya. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to him; it was just that this conversation was getting more and more awkward each day, plus the fact that she was in a hurry to continue with her research task for Hamasaki-san, her guardian and shopkeeper of Hamasaki Pharmacy.

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"Taichou…" whispered Takuya's friend, nicknamed 'Tiger', as he caught up with the puffing Takuya, who was attempting to catch up to Yoshi as she sped up her pace."Why don't you ask someone else out to the festival? I mean, Yoshi-chan isn't the only one that you can ask out. She already s-"

"I am going to ask her out and that's that!" Takuya growled, making Tiger shrink back at the harshness of his boss's voice. Takuya was never the kind to raise his voice at his friends. Watching a determined Takuya still struggling to catch up to Yoshi, Tiger whispered in his ear…something that would hopefully help.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" puffed Takuya, feeling the air run out of his lungs. "It does sound promising." His face was glistening with sweat, but his lips were curved up into a self-satisfied smirk.

"Sure boss," Tiger smirked as he watched the figure of the slender brunette, who still walking at an incredible pace. "Course it's gonna work."

"Let's get this plan into action, shall we?"

"Yes sir!" saluting his boss, Tiger sped off into the next intersection, knowing what to do, and what would happen next.

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When Yoshi was about to turn to the next corner, one of Takuya's stocky gang mates suddenly appeared, blocking her path. Then she realised she had been cornered. She turned around, her dark brown hair whipped across the blocker, sending a floral aroma. Her brown eyes studied Takuya closely, wondering what he was planning.

"What are you doing?" demanded Yoshi, who was clearly looking impatient. "Let me go."

The gang mates snickered as they crowded around the two individuals, forming a circle, at the same time trapping her. She knew they were attempting to scare her. Yoshi's facial expressions hardened as Takuya took a step forward.

"I didn't know you had tactics like this, Takuya-kun." '_It's not like he'll try anything serious on me…I think…' _thought Yoshi as she stared into Takuya's emerald eyes. "Did forming a gang teach you all this?"

Her eyes widened as she watched Takuya kneel down in front of her. "Yoshi-chan, you are the O-hime-sama my dreams. You are the most intelligent, beautiful and compassionate person I have ever met."

'_Okay…this is freaking me out…what is he doing?' _Yoshi swallowed hard. '_This is not happening…'_

"I could write hundreds of poems complimenting your beauty…" In the inside, Yoshi wanted to vomit. '_This is too gross to hear…'_

"I could buy you all the books in the world…I could give you all the riches that you could ever dream of..."

"I don't want any of those." Yoshi stated truthfully. Takuya ignored her comment.

"All I want to ask is…" Yoshi swallowed hard again. '_Thank god we're in a quiet alley of the market! This is so embarrassing!'_

"Would you be my girlfriend?"

Yoshi's mouth gaped open. '_Phew,'_ she thought. '_I thought it was something else...far worse than this! Like…a proposal in marriage!'_ Then she started to laugh at how silly the idea was.

"I'm sorry, Takuya-kun. It's a no. You're not my type."

Takuya looked as though he was doused with water. "What is your type then?"

"Someone that is honest, caring, and kind to the people that he loves."

"I am!" Takuya yelled, echoing throughout the alley. "I am!"

"I'm sorry. I find myself disagreeing in many things you do, Takuya-kun. You are no longer the child that I once enjoyed to play with when I was small." She stated softly, with a hint of sadness. "You are no longer my favorite playmate. And we are no longer children."

"What does that have to do with the choice that you have to make now?"

"It's because of this," Yoshi murmured. "That makes even our friendship impossible. You're parents expected more from you, Takuya-kun. Our mission is to make our parents proud, and show them that we can be responsible for our actions. Can you explain what you have done these days? Your mother was extremely shameful of what you have done. Your father was angry at your actions. What do you feel? Anything?"

Knowing from many of friends what Takuya has been up to after the gang 'Scarlet Scorpion' initiated, she wondered how Takuya felt when he got into trouble and was revealed to his parents.

"Yoshi-chan, you leave me no choice then."

Yoshi suddenly felt a pair of strong hands grab both of her arms. She turned in surprised, spotting that Tiger had held her hands behind her back, and the groceries were still held in her hand. Her eyes narrowed as she returned her gaze at Takuya, feeling irritated all of a sudden. She watched helplessly as Takuya walked closer to her, watching him tiptoe towards her face, at the same time, feeling his breath on her face.

"You wouldn't dare," growled Yoshi as she stared at Takuya furiously.

"Now, Yoshi-chan, I will give you two choices." Takuya said quietly, his smirk widening. "One, you either go with me to the festival, or Two, I kiss you and we get to go to the festival. You're choice. You can't win."

"You wish," she hissed. She could hear the gang jeer behind her.

"Okay then, so it's number two…" Takuya's stubby hand was on the side of her face, stroking the skin and tucking a strand of loose brown hair behind her ear. Her foot silently inched forward as Takuya's face came closer to her own. '_Just a little more…then I can use the rule one to get out of here… _Yoshi thought._ Just a little bit more…then I can get out of here…'_

Her eyes indistinctively flashed upwards as she spotted something black jump down to the ground from the rooftop. Takuya froze instantly.

"Let her go," a deep, but rough voice announced as the blade of a katana appeared in front of her eyes, blocking Takuya's face. Hands behind her loosened and she took a step backwards and pulled her hands away from a terrified looking Tiger. Yoshi's eyes followed the streamlined shape of the katana, upwards a beautifully carved dragon head, and then towards a man, who was dressed in black and had a red mask on his face. The half-crescent moon shaped symbol was too familiar…

The man did not lower his katana, but pointed it towards Takuya. The sword reflected the terrified look Takuya had on his face while facing this stranger.

"Filthy hands should be chopped off, shouldn't it?" The man chuckled silently. Takuya stiffened at the comment.

Yoshi didn't even have time to notice what had happened. Everything just happened too quickly. Blood splattered on the ground. Takuya fell on a heap on the ground right in front of her eyes. Tiger, who was originally behind her, fell to a heap on the ground. All the other members of Scarlet Scorpions staggered, and fell. The stranger pointed his dragon headed katana at the blood covered Takuya…

_To be continued…_

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_Please Review!_

_Last Updated: 01/11/2009_

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	2. Tale 2 Intertwined Fates

Hey guys sorry for not updating for so long. I've just been really busy that's all (and when I mean really busy, I mean _REALLY_ busy...) I'm thankful that there are still people out there who are anticipating for the update of this story. Thank you so much.

Guess what? I will be adding a companion guide at the end of this story so that some things can be explained further in detail :D

Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this story! A review at the end would be very much appreciated!

_Yoshi2112_

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Yoshi didn't even have time to notice what had happened. Everything just happened too quickly. Blood splattered on the ground. Takuya fell on a heap on the ground right in front of her eyes. Tiger, who was originally behind her, fell to a heap on the ground. All the other members of Scarlet Scorpions staggered, and fell. The stranger pointed his dragon headed katana at the blood covered Takuya…

A loud bang followed by a piercing scream echoed in the alleyway.

"_STOP_!!"

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_Tale 2 Intertwined Fates…_

"Yûka-chan!" a voice called from the inside of Takahashi flower shop, one of the renown flower shops on the busy streets of the market, near Shirasagi castle. "Yûka-chan, go and fetch medicine for Ojii-san!"

"I'm going, I'm going, I'M GOING, okay?! Stop yelling!" The young woman at the counter shouted back upstairs, feeling annoyed at her elder sister's commands. "I'm sorry, I must go. I will be back very soon," She apologized and handed over the wrapped flowers to her startled customer. Then she placed a sign on the counter, informing the customers of the short period of unavailability. She hastily tied her medium length black hair into a messy bun as she sat down to find her geta in the crowded doorway. _'Who has ever heard of not wearing geta in a shop? I doubt anyone has that rule, well, except here, at Takahashi Flowers…Why does Onee-san think I'll mess the place up? After all, I'm the one that's doing all the cleaning here…'_ she thought irritably as she threw another pair of geta behind her into the shop. "Ah, here it is!" she exclaimed to herself as she pulled out her own pair out of the mountain of mess. "I'm going! I'll be back in a sec!" she screamed back into the shop, making the customers stare in surprise. After apologizing and bowing, she bolted out of the shop to head to the pharmacy to pick up her grandfather's prescription medicine._ 'Why can't you do it yourself? Onee-san?'_

'_Onee-san is so bossy,'_ she thought as she dashed past many others, and trying her best to avoid knocking someone over. _'After Okaa-san and Otô-san passed away… and especially after Ojii-san started getting sick… I am not meant to be underemployed like this! I am a trained martial artist and cartographer! Not some monkey running around following eccentric orders!'_ she thought, raising a fist in determination. "I demand for proper treatment!" she suddenly cried in the middle of the crowd, making many others stare in surprise. She smiled in embarrassment as she continued swerving past many passers by. Her brown eyes narrowed as she spotted a familiar contest held at the intersection of the main market road, directly in front of a Sakura. She suddenly felt sorry for the forever blooming tree; its blossoms were tangled with random lanterns and posters, the tree branches were used as a hanger for numerous martial contraptions. She shook her head in disgust as she spotted that the tree had became a place of exploitation. _'My most important place with my most important person has been exploited…'_ Her brown eyes narrowed further as she heard a familiar voice coming from the middle of the crowd. She made her way to the middle, forcibly squeezing her way past many others.

"The greatest martial contest is about to commence," the voice cried. "Everyone, come and watch the legendary fighters of justice in this life threatening contest!"

"What a load of rubbish," she spoke out loud as soon as she was in the front line. Gasps were heard from everywhere around her. The young man in the middle had his back to her, and she could easily tell that he was twitching. His hands gripped tightly around his weapon, his hands were shaking, and tendons were popping out.

"What did you say?" he started turning around, very slowly. "What _did_ you say?"

"I said: 'What a load of rubbish.' And I'm not afraid to say it again," answered Yûka coolly. "You're calling yourself 'legendary fighters of justice'. 'Notorious and crummy' would be more suited." People snickered at her comment. "Don't you agree, Tiger? Or should I say, Shizuka-kun?"

"You!" the man spluttered as he spun around immediately, many of his friends avoided his weapon from hitting them. "_You_!"

"Yes, me. Yes, me," said Yûka, sounding sarcastic. "I hope you're not trying to flirt with the ladies here with your showing off, Shizuka-kun." She smirked as she saw him twitch uncomfortably at his given name, but he quickly recovered from his moment of agitation.

"For your information," he started, "we, the Scarlet Scorpions are on a mission today."

"Is that what you call yourself these days, this gang of Takuya-kun's?"

"Maybe this would show you who you're dealing with," all of the gang turned around, showing off the printed picture on their black yukata and jinbei.

"'Red Scorpions'," muttered Yûka. "Is that all you can come up with?" The gang members turned around and stared at the black haired woman. Although she was getting on their nerves, the gang members were smart enough to know that attacking the young woman would cause an unnecessary disturbance. Further more, attacking woman weren't allowed on the streets of Shirasagi…

"Just because you're a woman doesn't mean that we have to be nice to you, weakling." spat Tiger. The gang members stared at one another. Some nodded knowingly while others were clearly surprised. It was a while known fact that Tiger, or Shizuka, had a crush on the woman for a period of time. Under his tough exterior, Tiger had a soft side that he had never shown to anyone, not even to his siblings. However, Tiger was devastated when he gathered up his confidence to confide the woman about it, only to be rejected in the most heartbreaking manner. Although some knew Tiger still had some feelings for the woman, he continuously covered them up with his taunts, never to reveal how hurt he had been…

"Take that back," Yûka's eyes narrowed into silts, making some people in the crowd shrink in fear. Tiger stood his ground, staring back at the woman with his weapon in his hand.

"Never," was all he whispered. Everyone gasped in horror as Tiger knelt down onto ground with his arms twisted painfully behind him, his weapon dropping to the ground. Yûka Takahashi stood victoriously above the man with a piece of robe in her hands that were wound painfully around the man's arms and a foot on his back. She tightened the knot in her hands, making the whole crowd gasp in horror once again.

"And what was it you said again?" she asked quietly. "In the meantime, tell me what you're all doing here, you guys have been out here for weeks…" she turned to face the rest of the gang.

"W-we're on Taichou's orders!"

"What are his orders? Tell me or-" A loud whistle came from the distance, interrupting Yûka's threat. "What's going on?" she questioned as the gang members abandoned their weapons and started to run towards the sound of the whistle. "Hey! Where are you guys going?"

"Yoshi-chan's been located! Hurry! Taichou needs our support!" she heard one of the gang tell another as they ran past her and her hostage. Her eyes instantly widened in horror as she dropped the rope, allowing Tiger to wriggle out of the tight knot. Tiger gave her a mysterious look that she wasn't able to interpret before running after his fellow comrades.

'_Yoshi-chan! Yoshi-chan's doing grocery shopping for Hamasaki-san today…'_ she thought as she started running after the men. _'She's most likely to walk her usual shortcut… Yoshi-chan, please be safe! I won't let them do anything to you…'_ she turned at a dark corner and hid herself in the shadows. _'I will never allow anyone to hurt my most important person… I will most definitely kill them… if they try to…'_

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Yûka started getting more and more impatient as she waited and waited for the arrival of the Scarlet Scorpion. She already had planned the majority of her attack in her mind; she visualised throwing punches, kicks, and smashing their noses up into their brains.

'_It's been a bit long… Normally, Yoshi-chan would have been home at this time… I wonder when they're going to get here… Unless…'_ Yûka gasped and scrambled out of her hiding place and started to run towards another alleyway, skidding on the gravel and gripping onto the walls with her fingers to stop herself from tripping. _'That means… Yoshi-chan went in another direction! They must have cornered her!'_ Yûka thought angrily as she closed her eyes and placed her hands to her temples. _'The next closest alleyway to the intersection of where Yoshi-chan could be cornered is about 10 minutes from here…if I run at this speed…'_ she visualised the markets in her mind, dimensions were labelled on the streets of her imaginary map. _'The closest way to get there… is to…do it that way…'_ She opened her eyes once again and jumped up towards the nearest wall and bounced onto the roof top with ease. Then she started running across the roofs, occasionally jumping onto other buildings and avoiding obstacles in her way.

'_Yûka-nee-sama!'_ she remembered how Yoshi would call her when they were small, making her smile as she jumped from roof to roof. _'Yûka-nee-sama, you're my best friend! Yûka-nee-sama and I will always be best friends! Forever and always!'_

"You're the first person that accepted me for who I am, and always respected me…" murmured Yûka, she closed her eyes and felt the wind blow past her face. "So I will always protect you, until that day…"

'_Yûka-chan!'_ she could remember how Yoshi would smile and always hold out her hand to grab hold of her own. _'Yûka-chan…'_ She imagined Yoshi smile. Her smile was dazzling, and it always seemed to put everyone into a trance. Although Yoshi was younger than her by two years, Yûka always treated her with utmost respect, to be frank, everyone did. The pair were the best of friends for over 10 years…

"There you are," Yûka sighed as she landed on the rim of the roof as she spotted Yoshi, who was standing with her back facing her. When Yûka leaned forward to see what had happened, her brows knitted together in confusion as she recognised several events that had happened at the scene: People, or to be precise, the gang members of Takuya, which she could identify easily from their red scorpion symbols on their clothing, were lying lifelessly on the ground, facing downwards. Blood splattered across the gravel ground…

'_Who on earth is that person?'_ she thought as she watched the man raise a beautiful katana, which was shaped as a silver dragon. Her heart skipped a beat. _'It's him!'_ she thought. _'The one that…is destined to…'_ He pointed it dangerously at the unconscious Takuya, and growled, "Are you alright?" Yûka nearly fell off the rooftop in surprise when she heard what he had said.

"…" No reply came from the medic. Yûka held her breath as she watched the man sigh and place his sword back into its scabbard, which was strapped on his waist. She watched as Yoshi knelt down and inspected Takuya's and the other gang member's wounds. _'He's just as he's rumoured to be… hopefully it can be changed…'_

"That wasn't necessary," Yûka shuddered at the coldness of Yoshi's normally sweet voice. "You didn't have to hurt them this way."

"Would you rather to choose to be abused instead?" Yûka's eyes narrowed at the comment. "I could do the honours…"

"You wouldn't dare…" Yoshi started to move backwards, but her back hit the walls, trapping her completely. _'He's even worse than what she told me…such a power hungry yôkai…' _Yûka thought. She just couldn't stand it anymore…

A loud bang followed by a piercing scream echoed in the alleyway.

"_STOP_!!"

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_To be continued…_

_Please Review!_

_Ah! One more thing, I am having trouble choosing the protagonist for my next story. I've decided it's going to be either Kamui or Subaru, our favorite pair of Vampire twins in Tsubasa! Please help me decide by voting in the poll in my profile, it will make a very big difference. Thank you very much:D!_

_Last Updated: 01/11/2009_

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	3. Tale 3 The Fiasco

**Hey guys! :D**

**It's been over a year now D: and I'm pleased to announce that I will hopefully be writing and updating as much as i can now since I have time (it's not exam period yet).**

**I apologize if it took so long for this story to continue as I was completing my last year of high school last year and I wanted to do as well as I could to get into the degree that I wanted to do study - Medicine. However, this plan has not been successful and I have instead been enrolled into a double degree with Commerce (Finance) and Science (Biomedical Science).**

**It's funny how I thought that, one year from then, I would be happily announcing that I entered Medicine and would be one more step closer to becoming a ****Pediatrician :(**

******I am studying Commerce/Science and may consider entering Medicine through a graduate path.**

**A while ago (probably like two weeks ago D:), I wasn't quite sure if I should've continued with my stories, so I updated my profile (please check it out) and made a poll for you (the awesome readers out there) to have a look and give me some feedback on whether I should do so :O and if not, who would be willing to pick up stories (it's a shame to leave them unfinished :( ). HOWEVER, I have got only 1 VOTE D: and so, I decided to just post up some parts of the story I previously wrote and to inform you guys of what is going on D:**

**Well, I'm thankful that there are still people out there who are anticipating for the update of this story. **

**Thank you so much.**

**Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this story! A review at the end would be very much appreciated!**

**And please don't forget to give me some feedback and suggestions :D!**

**THANK YOU!**

**_Yoshi2112_**

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_Tale 3 The Fiasco_

The villagers watched as a tall man, dressed in black and holding a large bottle of half-filled sake stomp angrily past their shops. Even the passers by stopped and wondered why he seemed so ticked off. His name was Kurogane, and he wasn't having a good day.

"_Why don't you take your sentry duty out of the castle today?"_ the voice of Tomoyo-hime echoed in his head_. "Maybe you can do some good for the citizens of the Nihon…Instead of staying in the castle all day; you could do something else…maybe by helping them?"_

He didn't really want to do so, but he knew he had to… After all, it was the instruction of the princess of Nihon. After excessive amounts of death glares and rude remarks, through clenched teeth, he reluctantly muttered, "_Yes, Tomoyo-hime."_

"What are you looking at?" He snapped at the huddled shopkeepers nearby, eyeing them with his piercing crimson eyes. They scurried back into their shops with frightened expressions as though they just saw a demon, instead of a man. Women on the streets of Nihon were different, eyeing and battering their eyelids at him as though he was some walking money tree. When he stared back at them, they immediately blush bright red, and attempted to cover their faces with their brightly coloured fans. When he snapped at them, similarly to what he did to the shopkeepers, they blushed and started giggling, much to his annoyance.

After being sent out of the castle, the first thing Kurogane saw was an elderly woman in distress, well, not exactly. Her cat was stuck on a tall sakura tree and wouldn't come down to the woman.

"Come down, my poor Haru-chan!" The old woman's wispy voice annoyed Kurogane's ears.

"_Remember…I'll know what ever you are going do, Kurogane…even if I'm not watching you face to face…_" Tomoyo-hime's voice reminded him of her outlandish request. '_Why did she have to be a yumemi?' _he thought, feeling extremely frustrated. He stared at the old woman, thought about his actions and then grimaced at the thought of what he was about to attempt.

He hated cats, he absolutely hated that animal. Its furry coat, long slender tail and sharp claws made him wonder why people would like them. He hated cats, and he knew he was going to regret his decision.

It wasn't like he had trouble climbing trees, he just had great difficulty getting the cat down from the tree since it kept on wanting to scratch him, and he had to avoid the relatively sharp nails on the cat's paws.

Every time he stretched his arm towards the cat on the tree branch, the cat hissed at him and tried to scratch his hand. When it the cat had successfully scratched him, he couldn't take it anymore. His impression of the feline was going down the drain, and he had to take revenge.

"Stupid cat," he muttered, his eyes turning into silts and glaring angrily at the animal. "You'll pay for that…"

With that said, Kurogane jumped up from his tree branch onto the cat's branch, clearly surprising the animal. '_Eat this, you stupid cat!'_ He thought as he pulled out Ginryû from its scabbard, and pointing it directly in front of the cat. The hairs on the cat's back shot up instantly as though they were needles. Beneath the sakura tree, the old woman fainted at the sight of the dangerously sharp blade.

"Now what are you going to do?" Kurogane growled at the terrified animal. It meowed loudly at him, baring its sharp teeth. "That's no use, isn't it?"

'_God, why do I even bother?'_ He thought angrily as he stomped past another street, pretending to be ignorant of the people watching him. As he stomped down the street, he was instantly attracted to a local martial arts contest. He watched the competition from the back of the crowd and couldn't help but to snort at the rustiness of the so-called "skilled martial artists" that was bravely scribbled across the sign. These "skilled martial artists" all wore the same black yukata with a red scorpion on their backs.

xXx

"_KYAAA_!" a loud bang followed by

Kurogane could feel the back of his head throbbing; a large lump protruded painfully when he touched his head. Unknown cold liquid had dripped down from his hair onto his face. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and tasted the liquid that dripped onto his lips. _'Saké?'_ his eyes widened in surprise. _'What the heck?'_ He looked at his surroundings, suddenly finding himself standing in a puddle of saké from the impact of the attack. He shook his head furiously and brushed his clothes briskly to be rid of the glass shards.

"There's still more where that came from," an unfamiliar voice spoke. He turned to the direction, and found himself staring at a complete stranger. A young woman stood bravely in front, holding the neck of a broken glass bottle. She had raven hair, auburn hues, and was about one head shorter than he was. Holding behind her back was another glass bottle of saké. On the other side, the brunette that he had previously spoken to had stood up in surprise, and cried, "Yûka-chan, what are you doing here?"

"Hey, you," asked Kurogane, directing the question at the brunette. "You know her?" She opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by the other, who completely disregarded his question. She had turned around, having her back to him, and dropped the broken glass bottle. "Yoshi-chan, are you alright?" the woman named Yûka asked, her voice was evidently softer. "I've got everything under control here. Tell me everything that happened."

"I-" Yoshi started, but was rudely interrupted by the ninja.

"What the hell is going on here? You," he pointed at Yoshi, who gave him frustrated stare, "Who the heck is she? Your _body guard_?" he asked, pointing at the other. Kurogane wasn't happy with being ignored, he wanted answers, now.

"Y-" she was once again interrupted by Yûka, who had turned around to face the ninja.

"_You_ don't have any right to ask _anything_," she snapped at him, with one hand on her hip. She turned around to her friend and asked, "You're not hurt are you?"

Yoshi shook her head furiously, "Yûka-chan, I-" she sighed exasperatedly when she noticed the incensed gaze between Yûka and the unknown stranger. They were glaring at each other; Yûka had a look of wanting to kill, whereas the ninja had a look of crankiness. Yoshi sighed in defeat, knowing that none of them were going to listen to her.

"What are _you_ looking at?" snarled Kurogane. He was hoping the woman would cower and he could just go off and continue with his own business. Unfortunately, he was wrong.

"What are _you_ looking at?" growled Yûka. She, too, was hoping that the man would just shrug, and hopefully leave them in peace. After all, he had caused enough trouble already. Seeing that he didn't move, Yûka shifted into fighting pose, knowing that if hoping didn't make the man leave, brute force would be needed to change his mind. Her lips curved up into a smirk when she watched the man pull out his katana from his scabbard. _'Bring it on~' _she thought gleefully.

"Guys! Stop it!" shouted Yoshi, who had sensed the increasing tension between the two. As a medic, she didn't want anyone else getting wounds; treatment for injuries were going to run out fast if the two were going to fight. Sadly, her call was completely ignored by the duo.

"Yoshi-chan, please stay out of this," was all Yûka said as her eyes narrowed at her target.

"Yeah, you stay out."

Yoshi could feel her temper rising. She didn't have any anger management problems, it was just that she hated it when people just ignored what she was trying to say, _especially_ when the problem was connected with her. She could see the two of them shifting their positions, preparing for attack. Angrily, she boldly jumped in between the pair, stopping them in their attacks.

"_Stop it_," she shouted. "Both of you, please! If you want to fight, find somewhere else where there's no-one lying nearly dead on the grounds!" she pointed to the unconscious men on the ground. "We need to get them to the pharmacy as soon as possible."

"Yeah, if _you _didn't do this to them, none of these problems would have happened," shouted Yûka, who pointed a finger in accusation at the ninja. "It's _your_ fault!"

"_What_!" spat Kurogane. He couldn't believe he was being blamed for something that he did for trying to save someone else. "This is _my_ fault? I wasn't the one who was being _followed_ by these stupid hooligans!"

"_What the hell is wrong with you guys_!" shouted Yoshi, who had finally had enough. "It's all_ my _fault, okay? Are you happy now? Now can we get them to the pharmacy _NOW?_" She sighed as she watched the pair relax their positions, but was worried once again when Yûka walked up to the stocky ninja, jabbed him with her index finger on his chest, and warned, "If you ever try and do _anything_ to her, you will have _me_ to deal with."

"Fine," growled Kurogane, who desperately wanted to leave the place and return to the castle. Just when he was about to jump up onto the roof to leave, he felt his arm being tugged back. He turned around and found himself staring into a pair of chocolate brown hues.

"You must help out too," said Yoshi, her eyes were of concern. "There's no way that Yûka-chan and I can carry them," she pointed at Takuya for an example, "they're way _too_ heavy…"

"I'm sure we can manage," Yûka said loudly, who was pulling Tiger up onto his feet. The unconscious man leaned his entire weight on her, his head was drooped onto her shoulder, and she pushed his head away by nudging him in the face. Seeing the pitiful sight, Kurogane pulled his hand out of the woman's grasp, and turned away.

"Please?" he could hear the woman's voice from behind. He sighed heavily and turned around. The brown-haired woman was still standing at the same place, staring at him. He stared back into her brown hues, and suddenly took a step backwards in shock. A familiar image had flashed into his mind…

"Are you okay? Is there something wrong?" the woman asked. Kurogane shook his head, turned around, and grabbed two random men from the ground, swung them over his shoulders with ease. He then turned around to face the other two.

"This way please," the brunette said, walking right after the other out of the alleyway. She only had the strength to carry one casualty, and it was the skinniest one out of them all. Kurogane followed them, slightly behind. His eyes narrowed at the woman in front of him.

'_They…she…' _His thoughts were jumbled up; a complete mess. _'Why does she remind me of her…? Why?'_

xXx

Hamasaki Hiroki stood at the pharmacy counter, waiting. On the pharmacy door, the 'Closed – Come Back Tomorrow' sign had already been put up, but he remained at the same place, waiting. His fingers traced the edges of his staff, feeling the texture and dents of the wood.

'_Where is Yoshiko-san?'_ he wondered, his white brows furrowing in worry. _'The neighbours said that she had already finished her shopping and was heading home…Yûka-san disappeared from Takahashi Flowers after being sent out to fetch medicine…'_ but then his brows loosened and a warm smile appeared. _'But it is Yoshiko-san after all…maybe the strings of fates that intertwined those two are a little too complicated for an old man like me to understand…'_ he chuckled a little as he spotted the squiggly calligraphy that hung on the side of one of the compartment doors. _'Eternal Friends…'_

"Hamasaki-san, Hamasaki-san!" he could faintly hear his name called out from the front door. "Hamasaki-san, my hands are full, could you please open the door! It's an emergency."

"Hai!" he called out cheerfully and started moving slowly towards the doors. Sliding the door open, he smiled, "Yoshiko-san, I was worried where you'd be. Ah, it's raining… What on earth happened?"

"I'm so sorry," apologized Yoshi, "we took a while getting them here. Uh…they…"

"Kobanwa, Hamasaki-san. They fell off roof from the buildings," interjected Yûka, covering Yoshi's momentary loss of words. Yoshi gave her a confused look, but nodded when Yûka gave her the 'I'll explain later' look.

"Silly children," muttered Hamasaki as he shook his head in disapproval. "Come on in, both of you are soaked! I do not want anyone getting sick here!" Yûka darted into the pharmacy with Tiger leaning her back. A trail of water followed her path. Yoshi sighed, _'Now there's more cleaning to do…'_ then she heard an impatient 'Hmph' come from behind, making her suddenly realise that…

"Actually," Yoshi leant forward as she passed the old man. "There's another helping us carry them…I don't know who he is, but…" she swallowed hard. _' What if he decides to kill us all here?'_ she thought nervously. _'I don't know what to do!'_

"Just get in." The voice behind her said gruffly, "I'm soaked out here."

Yoshi sighed in defeat and gave Hamasaki an 'I told you so' look. As she entered the pharmacy, she tripped over the leg of the sufferer that she was carrying, and fell to a heap on the ground. Kurogane dropped the two causalities that he was holding carelessly on the ground, and then grabbed Yoshi's arm. This made Yoshi wince at the pain of her arm. "Oww…" she muttered.

"Hey, you!" Yûka suddenly appeared in front of them. She looked annoyed, extremely annoyed. "Yeah, I'm talking to you!" she pointed to Kurogane. "Didn't you hear a word I said? I said: 'If you ever try and do _anything_ to her, you will have _me_ to deal with.' Do you remember that? What the hell are you doing to Yoshi-chan?"

Beside them, Hamasaki smiled. _'I'll get these men to the treatment room and come back later then,'_ he thought as he picked up the two that Kurogane had dropped previously and walked away from the argument.

"_Yûka-chan! _He was just helping me get up. I tripped."

Yûka's nostrils flared, "It looks like you're being tortured instead. Your hand's turning purple by the way."

These comments made Kurogane loosen his hold on Yoshi's wrist, and instead of holding her lightly, he unintentionally made her topple over, and land on top of the causality once again.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Yûka accused.

"What the heck? I was just trying to…" he stopped, "never mind."

"Yeah, what?"

"I'm going to treat their wounds," Yoshi stated loudly as she stood up, attempting to interrupt the incensed gaze between the two. "Yûka-chan, come with me! Ha ha ha…" she laughed nervously as she linked her arm with Yûka's and forcibly pulled her away.

Kurogane shook his head in irritation. Every time he tried to help, it just became more complicated. _'Maybe I shouldn't do anything at all, then nothing would happen…actually, I'd prefer it if I'd never walk into them again…especially that one called Yûka…'_ he considered. In front of his eyes suddenly popped a white cloth. He was extremely shocked that he just been caught off guard.

"Here, for you to clean yourself up," his gaze landed on the smiling old man. His cheeks were rosy and his eyes wrinkled into a small line. "Then we'll have some tea with the others…come this way."

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. _'This old man isn't what he tries to portray…he's powerful…' _He followed the old man into a small room, which he suspected to be one of the many treatment rooms.

"So, would you explain to me what had happened?"


	4. Tale 4 Premonition

Hello everyone, it's me again! I do apologize for the super late update – university has been a hassle (assignments, exams, group work, and then repeat again). I have managed to squeeze out a little time for this short-ish chapter just 1 month before my exams, and I do hope you will all enjoy it. Oh, also, I've set up this new blog just for my Fanfiction drabbles/rambles (it's in the homepage button of my profile). I hope you guys will have a look at it and it's extra info! I might also ramble a little bit about the new fanfics that might be coming out, inspiration about the characters/scenes/motives in the stories, and many many more random facts. I hope you guys will have a lovely week and please do enjoy the chapter!

* * *

_Tale 4 The Premonition_

"So, whom are you working under, Ninja-san?" Hamasaki Kuroki asked casually.

'_This is the most hectic afternoon I've ever had…'_ thought Yoshi as she nervously took another sip of her tea. She watched as Hamasaki talk, smile, making his plump cheeks wrinkle up, and take another sip of his herbal tea. He had insisted that they should all sit down and have a good chat. In the corner of her eye, she could see Yûka scowling at the ninja, who coincidentally sat down in front of her.

The tension in the air was unbearable.

"Tomoyo-hime's body guard," she heard Kurogane answer, with an extremely annoyed tone.

"I see," nodded Hamsaki as he stroked his long wispy beard, "now back in my days when I was working under my master…"

Yoshi smiled, it was extremely rare for her guardian to start talking about the times when he used to work under his master. She could remember the times when she ask, but hesitated to probe him with more questions each time when she saw the sad expression etched on his face.

"My, my, it's getting late isn't it?" Hamsaki said as he glanced to the direction of the open window. "I do believe it is time for both of you to leave," he said as he smiled at both Yûka and the ninja, "it was very nice talking to you both. Now off you go."

Kurogane stood up from his _seiza-style_ (1) position. He unintentionally knocked the small table, making the cups shake violently. On Yoshi's side, Yûka hissed as she quickly slapped her hand onto her own cup to stop it from falling.

"Can't you stop being such a brute?" she barked, "how much damage do you want to cause in one day?"

Yoshi sweat dropped as she saw Kurogane's twitching tendon on the side of his temple. She was expecting him to draw out his katana and point it at her best friend; however, he simply stomped out of the guest area and out into the entrance area. The last thing he did was nod slightly at Hamasaki, open the door, and violently slid the door so it slammed against the hinges. Yoshi shuddered at the impact of the sound.

"Well, I guess it's my turn to go too." Yûka said, after murmuring several colourful profanities after the ninja, "Good night Hamasaki-san, Yoshi-chan." With that said, the girl skipped towards the entrance, waved at the pair, and then hopped off silently into the streets.

"She's a good friend, isn't she, that Yûka-san," Hamasaki commented, but then mumbled inaudibly, "but she has to realise that sometimes she isn't the only one that will be following destiny…"

"Heh?" Yoshi, who thought she had misheard him. '_Destiny? What is Hamasaki-san talking about?_' she scratched her head furiously.

"Tonight… and tomorrow is the day where it all begins." he continued to mumble, but this time, out loud. The elderly man climbed up from his seating position and stood up to the windows. He could see that there were thick clouds that were spreading across the sky, covering the setting sun.

* * *

'_No! Kurogane-san! Hold her back!'_

'_Wait, no! Let go of me, Kurogane-san! __Yûka-chan__! What are you doing? __Yûka-chan__!__'_

Tomoyo-hime winced at the roaring flames in the scene. She could faintly see the surroundings through the furious flames – it was happening in a cave.

Being a dream seer and observing the details of the future were often painful and frustrating.

Her dream was conjuring up images that she did not want to see. The scene shifted from being in a cave to being near a cliff.

'_And I thought you, as my sibling, would have the same desire for our country to rise above this pathetic one…'_

'_I don't desire destroying a country that has provided us with nothing but utmost hospitality and respect…these are the people that have risked their lives for us…and now you want to repay them by killing them?'_

This dream was no different for Tomoyo. The images flashed vividly in front of her eyes; it was as though she was a reading a coloured book quickly, flipping through the pages at great speed.

Her eyes finally snapped open. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as she sat up from her bed.

'_So the time has come…'_ she thought sadly. _'One will perish for another, one will not fulfil their destiny, one will betray, one will struggle, and the last one…'_

* * *

It was early in the morning when Yoshi heard some loud bangs and shouts at the entrance of the pharmacy. She instantly dropped everything she was doing and sprinted towards the front door.

"Masayo-san!" she exclaimed when she slid open the door, revealing the local fisherman, Masayo, "how can we help you today?"

His face was pale with panic, as though he had witnessed something terrifying. With his hands near his mouth, his bad habit of biting his nails had surfaced – a sign of distress.

'_Last time he dropped by this early was because of his child choking on a piece of fish bone,'_ Yoshi thought carefully, _'I wonder what happened this time…'_

"B-b-bl-" he stuttered, while waving his arms around frantically, "black bruises everywhere…" he blubbered, "they're everywhere!" he suddenly shouted, lunged forward, and grabbed her shoulders tightly.

Yoshi sweat dropped at her customer, who was shaking her shoulders with force. She clearly remembered what had happened last time with the fish bone incident; the poor man in front of her was equally distressed. She removed both of the fisherman's hands and held it tightly in her own.

"Masayo-san, please calm down!" she said, in a very loud and clear voice, cutting across his ranting, "now, please breathe deeply! One, two, three," she watched as he breathed in, and out. From his attire, she instantly noticed that he had dressed in a hurry – his ebony hair was sticking out in all sorts of directions, his yukata was wrapped over the wrong side (right over left – which indicated death), and his slippers here on the opposite feet.

"Now, would you kindly explain what happened? How can we help you?" she asked, once again. She could hear the back door open quietly; knowing that Hamasaki had woke up from the commotion.

Masayo stared at her with wide eyes, "Yoshiko-kun, Hamasaki-san, my wife and children…they're…they're suffering from a strange disease!"

"Eh? But-"

"Konnichiwa, Masayo-kun. Could you please describe the symptoms?" she could hear Hamasaki's voice from behind her, so she instantly scrambled back into the pharmacy, knowing what to do. Rushing to the counter, she grabbed one of the many medical record orihon (folded book) and a spare calligraphy brush. Dipping it in ink, she hurriedly wrote down the symptoms that she could hear from the conversation, whilst thinking hard to correlate the symptoms with known outbreaks.

"Yoshiko-san," she ceased writing and thinking as soon as her name was called. Gazing up to meet Hamasaki's eyes, she realised that he had a bleak look, for his wrinkles were showing. "Would you please accompany Masayo-san for an inspection on his wife?"

"Hai," she said, without a second thought. Grabbing her usual medical gear from the storage area in the pharmacy, she sprinted after an agitated fisherman to the direction of his house.

_To be continued…_

* * *

(1) Seiza-style – a formal Japanese method of sitting down. This involves folding the legs under the thighs and resting the heels on the bottom – I couldn't find any other way of explaining what it was other than by using the original term!

_Last Updated: 01/10/2011_


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